Customer Service
by Notenoughscarves
Summary: Canalave City is uneventful. The library is even more boring. One young lady working as a clerk thinks it's time to leave, and must make her decision before the opportunity passes.
1. Chapter 1

The old wooden drawbridge creaked as it rose. The ship's horn blared throughout Canalave City, serving as an alarm clock for everyone as well as a warning for the bridge operators. A young woman woke up on the second floor of a small blue house. The canal water looked unusually nice today, artificial as it was. She put on a faded blue dress and a matching hat to go over her short black hair. It was a uniform that all clerks in Sinnoh were required to wear. The lady walked out in a comfortable pair of shoes just to see the boat disappear at the horizon, and the waving children promptly run back to their parents. The Canalave Library required her assistance to run. It was tiny compared to the grand museums and gyms scattered throughout the continent, but it was famed for its books on Pokemon mythology.

Another day of standing at a counter and quietly greeting young travelers. Her face was already beginning to show traces of lines around her mouth from excessive smiling. The building was silent. After the usuals and a few new faces had buried their faces into a historical book on Sinnoh or a dusty tome about legendary Pokemon, the clerk decided to watch the clock and count the hours until her shift was over. The library opened at 7 o'clock sharp, so she had to keep smiling until 10. Then she would come back at 4 and stay for an additional three. It was excruciating, but it paid surprisingly well considering how little work the librarian was actually doing.

A familiar young trainer ran in for his twice-weekly reading binge. He was a quiet kid whose communication was usually limited to a nod or a shake of the head. Today he was in a cheerful mood, and spread it to the clerk when he grinned.

"Hi!" was the first word she had ever heard from him.

"Hello and welcome to the Canalave Library." she repeated the only words she had been instructed to say.

"I'm Lucas! Nice to meet you!" said the trainer as he ran off. He dropped his red hat once, picked it back up, and traipsed up the hardwood steps.

She was slightly amused that this boy had chosen just now to acknowledge and greet her, after two months of making a beeline to the mythology section immediately upon entrance. And when he had gone upstairs with his well-worn running shoes, she quietly replied,

"I'm Rosanne," although with no chance of anyone hearing her.

She went through the rest of her workday only seeing Lucas once more when he scampered down the stairs and ran out the door without a word or a glance at her.

The ship arrived back at Canalave City's port without its cargo of incense and flowers. Its horn and the sound of the rickety bridge was the last thing Rosanne heard that night before the dreams began.

They were about her fantasies of traveling, a less boring job, and capturing Pokemon as a little girl.

And Rosanne could swear that just before the fogginess of sleep faded away, she caught a glimpse of a young boy in a red hat in her dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Rosanne transitioned from a heavenly sleep to her waking state quickly and peacefully. She was very confused about her dream from the previous night.

It was time for her to put on her uniform and go to work at the library again, knowing full well that she could just pack her bags up and leave. Determined as she was to start her own adventure, Rosanne was admittedly afraid to deviate from her daily, consistent life. She had a reliable job, enough money to live on, and knew each day what would happen in her small town. Boats going in, going out, blaring their horns for the bridges. It was monotonous, and no resident from Canalave could deny that.

Since Rosanne's job required no more than standing around and greeting visitors, she did some more fantasizing. What if she could traverse all of Sinnoh, with powerful companions at her side? At nineteen years of age, she was much older than most beginning trainers, but she was certainly young enough to start her life anew. It was about time, Rosanne thought. She was going to leave her roots for a fresh and exciting life.

Her thoughts faded just as Lucas burst in. The ringing bells on the door destroyed any last haze left over her brain.

"Hey Ms. Librarian!" he spoke in a quick and quiet manner, as if he were trying not to disturb anyone that he already hadn't with his chaotic entrance.

"Hello...Lucas." She smiled. What a kid. Maybe later she'd ask him what it was like to be a carefree trainer on an adventure around the country. Was she jealous at all? Yes, she was definitely envious of his life.

Well over two hours passed before anyone came or left. Then Lucas fluttered noisily down the stairs and turned the corner. He was out the door before Rosanne finished looking up.

Three days passed without any sight of the young boy. Rosanne mentally beat herself up over not taking the only opportunity she'd have in a long time. Lucas seemed like her only way out of this dull existence. If only she had been paying attention at that moment, she could have left the town, made new friends, and found someone she would spend her life with...

The agony wouldn't leave her. What if he never came back? Maybe she could just go on her own. She didn't need a boy to get her out of this rut, especially not one who was only ten years old. Well, all she needed now was a good sleep. She would have some idea of what to do tomorrow.

Rosanne woke up early the next day. The sun was still low on the horizon, and the sky touching the hills was more orange than blue. She had made her decision. She wasn't going to work that day. Not a single day from then on. She had to escape from her dreary life, before her bout of courage passed.

But how would she break the news to her boss? Rosanne was always a mild-mannered young woman, and there was no one else to run the library. It would be nearly impossible to find someone capable to be in charge of things singlehandedly. So instead of having to deal with her boss's certain disappointment, she quickly drew up a plain sign that said, "CLOSED", punched a hole in the paper, and ran a string through it. The young woman quickly put on some slippers and hurried over to the library. Before anyone could catch her in the act, the sign was hanging from the doorknob and she was getting dressed for the day. Not in her old blue dress and hat, but in some more practical clothing. Clothes that were suited for a life on the roads, in grass, on the water. She hadn't seen most of Sinnoh for all her nineteen years.

It was damn well time she did.


End file.
